Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held separate meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Ali Bin Al Sayegh in Rio de Janeiro on July 7 (local time) as part of his Brazil visit for the expanded BRICS Summit.

Expressing his pleasure in meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres again, PM Chinh praised the Secretary-General’s leadership and contributions to promoting the UN's global agenda.

He stressed the importance of multilateralism and the UN’s guiding role in addressing global challenges. He informed that Vietnam is actively preparing to host the UN Convention against Cybercrime signing ceremony in Hanoi in October, and extended an invitation to the Secretary-General to attend this important event.

Guterres thanked Vietnam for hosting the convention, describing it as a significant event expected to draw high-level global participation.

He highly appreciated Vietnam’s contributions to key international issues and expressed his admiration for the country and its people, saying he looked forward to returning to Vietnam soon.

During his meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, PM Chinh reaffirmed Vietnam’s respect for the traditional friendship and strategic partnership with Belarus.

Both sides highlighted the May visit by Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam to Belarus as an important milestone in deepening comprehensive cooperation across all areas.

The Belarusian FM congratulated Vietnam on its recent achievements, and conveyed the Belarusian PM's wish that bilateral ties, particularly in trade, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, will continue to grow.

The two sides agreed to strengthen high-level exchanges and work closely to effectively implement the outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam’s visit.

Meeting with UAE Minister of State Ahmed Ali Bin Al Sayegh, PM Chinh urged both countries to actively implement outcomes of his official visit to the UAE in October 2024, which resulted in the upgrade of bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership.

PM Chinh called for the early negotiation of a Vietnam-GCC Free Trade Agreement, as well as an Investment Protection Agreement.

He also proposed that the UAE support Vietnam’s plans to develop a financial centre based in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, and help realise plans to host a UAE Investment Conference in Vietnam.

Bin Al Sayegh affirmed that Vietnam remains a top priority in the UAE’s Asia policy, noting the strong momentum in bilateral ties since PM Chinh’s visit. He announced the UAE had appointed a minister responsible for relations with Vietnam.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese PM's proposals, the UAE official said his country will expedite the signing of a memorandum of underst♏anding on coo💃peration between Ho Chi Minh City and Abu Dhabi Financial Centres, and work with Vietnam to organise the upcoming investment conference./.